Warm Grain Salad with Sausage and Cauliflower

When I stumbled upon this green cauliflower at the supermarket, I knew I had to update an old recipe!

This dish is colorful, hearty and packed with tons of flavor. With only a few ingredients and 30 minutes, you can have yourself an awesome meal.

The base of this warm ‘salad’ is a 10 minute-cooking, 5 grain Italian blend I found at Whole Foods. It includes farro, barley, oats, rice and wheat. I originally made a similar recipe with just quick-cooking farro, which is just as tasty. A bonus of using all these nutty grains along with the cauliflower is there’s actually lots of fiber in this dish. Plus, when the cauliflower gets nice and charred, you can’t beat the flavor.

The less healthy ingredients, spicy Italian sausage and Pecorino Romano cheese, obviously lend tons of flavor, too. Although you can always substitute turkey sausage and use a little extra olive oil to make things healthier. Add any of your favorite fresh herbs and voilà, it’s dinner time!

Warm Grain Salad with Sausage & Cauliflower

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• Author: Sabrina Russo
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

This hearty grain salad includes crispy sausage and cauliflower, which is charred to perfection. Pecorino cheese brings it together to create a delicious, quick meal.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 oz hot Italian sausage, removed from casing
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 small shallots or 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 head of cauliflower (I used green), cut into small florets
• 1 ½ cups mixed grains, farro or barley (I usedPedon’s Quick-Cooking Italian 5 Grain Blend)
• ¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
• ¼ cup mint, basil and/or parsley, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

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Instructions

1. Heat oven & water: Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a medium-sized pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Cook sausage & onions: Heat a large oven-safe sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, followed by the sausage. Break up the sausage and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until browned. Add onion to pan, season with salt and pepper, and sauté 2-3 minutes or until onions are translucent and meat is well-browned. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Transfer sausage mixture to a bowl, making sure not to leave behind any garlic.
3. Cook cauliflower: Increase heat slightly. Add the remaining oil to the pan, along with any reserved sausage oil from the bowl. Add cauliflower to pan, stem-side up, and season with salt and pepper. Flip when well-browned on first side, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer pan to the oven and continue to cook about 7-10 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Return pan to stovetop with heat on medium.
4. Cook grains: While cauliflower cooks, add grains to salted, boiling water. Cook 1 minute short of package instructions, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving a cup of cooking liquid. If using a longer cooking grain (mine cooked in about 9 minutes), start cooking the grain first.
5. Mix, season & serve: Return sausage mixture to pan with cauliflower. Add grains and a few tablespoons of cooking water. Allow liquid to evaporate as ingredients heat through. Turn off heat and stir in cheese. Taste for seasoning. Stir in herbs right before serving. Serve with grated cheese. Enjoy.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Main
• Method: Saute
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ¼ of salad
• Calories: 562
• Sugar: 3g
• Sodium: 595mg
• Fat: 24g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 68g
• Protein: 21g

Keywords: grain salad, sausage and cauliflower